Blood
by MizuneMinamiki
Summary: Rin is the sadistic leader of a Resistance team with Miki, Luka, and several others. Len is the masochistic leader of another group with Mikuo, Piko, and more. They learn that their best chance of survival is to work together. The problem? Rin and Len are far too cruel get along. Miki and Piko hate each others' guts. And someone is not who they seem to be...
1. Chapter 1

**_This was all inspired by this random picture I found on Pinterest._**

**_Vocaloid doesn't belong to me. And that sucks. Because I can't own Len. Or Piko. *cries in a corner*_**

**MAIN COUPLES:** _RinxLen and MikixPiko_

**SIDE COUPLES:** _GakupoxLuka, KaitoxMiku, DellxGumi, ReixRui, OliverxIroha; possibly more._

**_EDIT: June 18, 2013 - Just switched this from 1st person (Rin's) POV to 3rd person. (: And thanks to _Honeycloud of RiverClan_ for pointing out some of my errors!:D_**

**_Enjoy~_**

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**Chapter One**

"Haven't you died yet, you fool?" she spat down at the brunette man lying at her feet, rearing back to deal another kick to the stomach.

The once-proud man tilted his head enough to bury his face in the dirt as he hacked up a bit more blood, the crimson liquid dripping from his chin when he looked back up at her with tears in his eyes. He was pleading, begging her to either help him or put him out of his misery. Tsk. Could he be so foolish? Did he really think that after taking the time to carve threats into his back with a rusty knife and snapping some of his bones that she would be so gracious as to shoot him in the head and end that suffering?

_Nope._

The blonde stared down at him through narrowed blue eyes, her whole expression one of hatred. Slowly, she brought herself down on one knee and caught his face between her thumb and index finger, turning him to one side, then the other, forcing him to hold eye contact.

"You disgust me," she growled out at him, her face dangerously close to his, so close she could feel the heat radiating from his skin. "Your people are the reason this world is going to hell. If it weren't for you cruel, sick bas - are you falling asleep while I'm talking to you?" She sighed, releasing her grip on him and reaching into her pocket to take out her knife. "Your parents must not have taught you manners..." She flipped it open and kissed the grimy blade before plunging it into his forearm, cutting deep enough for the point of her knife to sink into the dirt underneath. She could hear the bones crackling from the pressure.

A shriek of pain ripped from the guy's throat, and he rolled onto his side, inching closer to his pinned arm as hot tears streamed down his face. A fresh puddle of blood flowed from the wound, and the coppery scent overwhelmed her once again. She chuckled, dipping two fingers in the sticky liquid before bringing them to her lips.

"You know, there's just always something about blood that turns me on," she laughed coldly as she left a trail of the scarlet liquid down her chin and grazing her tongue over her lips. "I always loved the taste." She smirked as she continued to draw the line down her neck, pausing when the collar of her shirt prevented her from going down any farther. Her hand returned to the handle of her knife, and she twisted it clockwise, her smile widening at the noises - the whimpers of pain and grunts of protest - the man made at the action. "Bet you wish you could just die already, am I right?"

Another fit of coughs and hacks answered her question, as he spluttered up blood that splattered all over her leg. His whole arm, the one pinned to the ground, had pretty much gone limp at that point. No more struggling from him.

"You aren't gonna be anymore fun for me to toy around with, are you?" She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. Then, she shrugged. "No worries. I'll find someone else next time we have a raid." She clutched the handle of her knife once again, ripping it free. He bellowed out in pain, his uninjured hand flying over to the wound to grasp at it. She didn't know why. It wasn't like it was going to be of any help.

She pressed the point of the knife to his cheek. "I'm not going to end your life. Have fun rotting here." She rose to her feet again and tilted her head back to stare up at the sun, its merciless rays burning down on her exposed skin. "I'll always remember this little date," she said, smirking down at the man, nudging him with her foot.

"Rin! I hate to interrupt your blood bath, but we need to get back."

The blonde girl turned around, her gaze resting Luka. Her long, rosy pink hair was tied back into a high ponytail with a black ribbon, and a few locks fell into her face, clinging to her skin with sweat. She wore a black tank top that was skin-tight and exposed her belly. Leather shorts hugged her legs, while heeled boots reached up almost to her knees. She had on fingerless gloves to match, and held a semi-automatic pistol in each hand. For the most part, Rin's outfit matched hers, with the exception of a ponytail, as her hair was too short. And the cruel blonde preferred to carry knives as opposed to guns because she could prolong the pain; however, she still had a pistol at her side, held with a loose belt draped over her hips.

She flipped the blade back and clutched the pocket knife to her chest. "Bye, my friend," she snarled sarcastically, before padding toward Luka.

"We should get back to the others. If we wait too long, the Vocaloids will notice that no one's reporting in and they'll come searching," Luka told her. She waved a hand towards the woods where their group sheltered.

"I suppose you're right." Rin sighed and turned toward the abandoned car, where their other partner dug through the glovebox in search of supplies. "Miki! Let's go!"

The red-head climbed across the seat to the driver's side and slipped out of the car. "There's nothing good in here. Soon, we're gonna have to attack a convenience store or something." Miki jogged over to Rin's side, a leather sack thrown over her shoulder. In her right hand, she held a powerful gun that she must've stolen off this officer. "There were a few snacks and weapons, but that won't hold us off for long."

Rin sighed. "Alright, well, we'll get a raid together for that soon. I'm sure Rei and Rui will be up for that. Those idiots have been itching for something to do other than guard the bunker."

"We'll need all the help we can get," Miki added, staying at Rin's side as she led her along the trail in the woods, pushing deeper into the thick bushes and bramble patches. "It's not easy to go into a civilized place and get out alive."

It was true. Just two months ago, this crazy man came to power. He demanded that every person call him 'Master,' and that they all bend to his will. A lot of people willingly joined his team, and they were immediately given a mark on their left arm. In fact, Meiko was the first to join them, and the number '00' was tattooed on her shoulder in red. Not long after, he passed a law that no person can do so much as be seen in public without a number. The consequence? They would either agree to get one, or be killed.

Any smart person would just fake it. But there was something unique about that tattoo, something digital. They could scan it and tell if it was legit.

That was why they stayed in hiding. None of them wanted to be forced into that kind of a life.

"We'd have to be extra careful, though," Luka warned, holding back the branch of a bush for Miki and Rin to pass before letting it swing back into place.

"We have plenty of men to keep ourselves guarded," Rin said confidently, quickening her pace in the direction of the hideout.

"Actually, we're all women except for Rei and Oliver," Miki insisted, with a hint of good-humored sarcasm.

"They may as well be girls, the shotas." Luka glanced over at their blonde leader as she spoke, looking for a sign of amusement.

Rin froze as they continued their chatter, lifting both of her hands to silence them. Nearby, she could hear footsteps crunching in the undergrowth, along with hushed whispers. She flicked her wrist to the left, signaling for her partners to move forward, while she inched in the direction of the voices.

"...return with more than enough to keep us satisfied for the next week," the first person, definitely a male despite his feminine voice, said quietly.

"But are you sure it's smart to go out of our safety zone?" the other boy asked, a lot more masculine than the first.

She scooted forward as noiselessly as she possibly could, her heart hammering in her chest. _Could it be that I would be able to make another kill?_ She whipped her gun from its holster, finger on the safety. If they had any firearms, it would be foolish to jump out with a knife. She'd aim for the knees so she could still carve some decorations into their skin, while they were alive and could feel it.

"We have a higher risk staying back with the others," the first person whispered back. "We've gone out so often that the Vocaloids have the area heavily guarded."

Finally, the two came into view. The one in the lead was a blonde, with hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. He had on a blood-stained white shirt with a dark vest over, and long black pants. Behind him was another guy, with messy teal hair and a tank top of a matching color, and his shoulder was free of any Vocaloid tattoo. Both of them were equipped with a handgun.

Rin glanced over to Miki and gave another wave of her hand. She slowly started to shuffle around Rin and make her way to be positioned behind the pair, while Luka approached Rin's side, gun held out and aiming for the blond guy.

"Don't shoot unless you have to. We can't waste ammo," Rin breathed out in Luka's ear.

She gave a curt nod of her head, murmuring back, "You should try to give them a chance. We need all the help we can get."

She stayed quiet for a few long moments, processing her pink-haired friend's words. She was right, but some people couldn't be trusted. Though, she made a good point. They couldn't make a good Resistance team unless they had more members, and since Luka's sister's death, things have been even harder for all of them. After contemplating what to say, she spoke up for the two boys to hear. "I highly suggest you two idiots don't fire those weapons for your own sake, or my team and I will end you."

Immediately, both of the boys aimed their guns in her direction, and the blond spoke up, demanding, "Why should we trust you?"

"Listen, I'm gonna move so you can see me. I have a gun, but I'm not going to fire. So don't shoot, okay?" Rin pulled back the safety as slowly as she could, and luckily, the _click_ wasn't loud enough for them to hear.

"What about your friends? Will they shoot?" he asked cautiously.

Miki spoke from behind him, and the moment her voice was heard, the teal-haired boy spun around to aim in her direction. "We won't shoot unless you show signs of hurting our leader."

"I'm coming out now." Gun pointed at his face, Rin stepped from behind the thick shelter of the leaves. He kept his weapon pointed at her, as well, as though he wasn't sure whether she would try to pull some trick. She turned to one side so he could see her shoulder. "I don't have a mark. I'm not a Vocaloid."

He squinted at her, then jerked his gun towards himself. "Come here."

She narrowed her eyes. "Put your gun down and turn around."

"Are you crazy? I'm not doing that while you're still armed," he argued pointedly.

"Fine." She held her gun out to the side and started squatting toward the ground. "We'll put them down at the same time. And that means your friend, too," she added, her gaze darting over to the teal-haired guy facing the area of the woods where Miki was hiding.

He nodded and held his gun out. "Mikuo...?"

The other guy willingly tossed his weapon to the ground, no hesitation.

The blond guy and Rin both continued to lower themselves to the ground, their eyes never once breaking contact. As she stood back up, she took slow steps in his direction, her hands moving back down to swing at her sides. With all of her training, it would take probably two seconds to whip out her knife, and judging by the way his fingers twitched by his pockets, he was thinking about the same thing.

"Don't shoot, you guys," she told her friends, as she continued to close the distance between herself and the enemy. And no sooner than Rin stood two feet in front of the blond did he pull a dagger from a sheath hidden in the back of his pants, thrusting it in her direction.

Rin stumbled back, her hand digging deep into her pocket for her own knife. She held it out at him, pushing down a button so that the blade switched out. Before he could pull back his hand, her weapon sliced open his skin and left a few drops of blood to fall to the ground.

The two froze mid-fight, their gazes meeting as he smirked. "You little whore."

He jerked back just enough for Rin to miss her next blow, pushing his dagger towards her heart. She turned to the side so that he barely grazed over her skin, and her free hand rose up to snatch his wrist. He spun around to wrench free, his back pressed to her chest. The tables were turned. This boy turned to push Rin up against the trunk of a tree, one of his hands pinning both of her wrists above her head. Rin's knife had clattered to the ground moments before.

With his free hand, he held his dagger to her throat, leaning closer so that his breath hit against her lips. "I think I win this battle."

Miki and Luka burst out from their hiding place, Miki holding her new Uzi with a hot fire shining in her eyes. (Putting weapons with her was almost as dangerous as it was with Rin...)

"You harm her, you die," Luka growled, pulling back the safety on her pistol as she moved closer.

"Miki, take that other guy," Rin said, trying to jerk her gaze in the direction of the teal-haired boy standing with wide eyes a few yards away, not even daring to pick up his weapon.

The red-head nodded. "I've got 'im."

"And Luka...don't shoot," she growled through gritted teeth.

The boy smirked and brought his hand up to Rin's chin, his thumb skimming over her soft bottom lip. "You're a smart girl."

"Don't patronize me," Rin snarled, narrowing her eyes as he flipped his dagger back so the point was against her cheek. She could feel a sharp pinch of her skin as the blade cut into her, just enough to let a hot, sticky stream of blood trail down her cheek like tears.

He placed a finger to the crimson liquid on Rin's face and touched it to his lips. Taking note of the stains from her fight with the Vocaloid earlier, he murmured, "You like blood too, huh? Don't you just love the way people cry when they want to be free?"

"Are you expecting me to be one of those people?" Rin challenged. "I don't cry and I don't beg."

"You're...interesting." He licked the blood off lips. "_Damn_, do I wish it was just you and me here. We could have lots of fun..."

"Luka, you can get him off me anytime now," Rin muttered darkly, and almost immediately, the pinkette grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him back, the barrel of her gun pressed to his cheek as she threw him away from her. Rin bent to pick up her knife and the dagger he'd dropped, flipping the blade back in her own weapon and shoving it into her pocket. As she approached him, Luka backed away.

"Are you going to kill me now, beautiful?" the boy asked, smirking up at Rin from where he knelt on the ground.

Rin held out his dagger and jerked it upward a few times as a signal for him to stand. Heat rose to her cheeks at his words, but she knew he was only trying to rattle her so he would have a better chance of outsmarting her when she got close.

Wasn't going to happen.

The boy stood up in front of her, arms crossed.

"Turn around."

"What, you don't want me to see the naughty things you'll do, _Princess_?" he taunted, eyes twinkling with dark thoughts before he turned away from her.

Rin pushed the point of the dagger against his spine, taking his wrist and twisting his arm up behind his back. She leaned forward so her lips were against his ear. "You're our prisoner now; I recommend you don't get on my bad side."

He chuckled. "Haven't I already done so?"

She rolled her eyes, forcing him to take a few steps forward. "Luka, get our guns over there, will you? And Miki."

"Yes, Rin?"

"Rin, huh? That's a pretty name," the boy murmured, and Rin whacked him upside the head with her fist.

"Make sure that idiot won't get away." She glanced over her shoulder to see her redhead friend leading the other boy ahead of her with that Uzi touching the back of his neck. He walked stiffly, his eyes wide with terror as he peeked over at the guy Rin kept restrained.

"Okay."

"Now let's get going." Rin gave him a fierce shove. "Come on."

That was when a staticky voice came from something hooked to his belt.

"_Utatane to Kagamine, do you read_?"

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**_Whaddya think? Like the idea? Like the characteristics of Rin and Len?_**

**_I'm fascinated with the apocalypse, zombie or religious. XD I pretty much gave these people their own issues to deal with. Master is like the evil leader, while his soldiers are known as the Vocaloids._**

**_Love you all for reading, and reviews are greatly appreciated!_**

**_(:Mizune_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Thanks to those of you who reviewed! You all are amazing, and shall see your review replies at the end of this chapter.^^_**

**_Also, just because Rin likes the taste of blood doesn't mean she's a vampire. I dunno if anyone will think that as they read, but she's not. Just saying._**

**_EDIT: June 19, 2013 - Rewriting this to make it 3rd person POV._**

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**Last Chapter.**

_"Turn around."_

_"What, you don't want me to see the naughty things you'll do, Princess?" he taunted, eyes twinkling with dark thoughts before he turned away from her._

_Rin pushed the point of the dagger against his spine, taking his wrist and twisting his arm up behind his back. She leaned forward so her lips were against his ear. "You're our prisoner now; I recommend you don't get on my bad side."_

_He chuckled. "Haven't I already done so?"_

_She rolled her eyes, forcing him to take a few steps forward. "Luka, get our guns over there, will you? And Miki."_

_"Yes, Rin?"_

_"Rin, huh? That's a pretty name," the boy murmured, and Rin whacked him upside the head with her fist._

_"Make sure that idiot won't get away." She glanced over her shoulder to see her redhead friend leading the other boy ahead of her with that Uzi touching the back of his neck. He walked stiffly, his eyes wide with terror as he peeked over at the guy Rin kept restrained._

_"Okay."_

_"Now let's get going." Rin gave him a fierce shove. "Come on."_

_That was when a staticky voice came from something hooked to his belt._

_"Utatane to Kagamine, do you read?"_

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**Chapter Two.**

With a strong flick of her wrist, Rin sent the boy flying to the ground on his hands and knees. She whipped her pistol out of its holster and aimed it at his foot as he slowly turned to look at her, a smirk dancing across his lips. Rin clutched his dagger tightly in her other hand.

"What is that?" the blonde girl demanded coldly.

"A walkie-talkie, _Princess_; haven't you ever heard of them?" the boy murmured back, sarcasm just oozing from his words. His mocking blue eyes met Rin's, his golden hair plastered to his head with drying scarlet blood from her strike to him moments before.

"Only the Vocaloids use them," Rin pointed out cautiously, pulling back the safety. She placed her finger on the trigger, keeping her weapon trained on his leg. If he truly was some undercover Vocaloid, she'd be sure to put him through a very slow and very painful death.

"_Or_ smart fugitives," he countered in an amused tone. The boy situated himself on the ground so that his legs were pulled up to his chest. His eyes glistened with power, victory, as though he figured only his words were enough to get him out of his predicament. It seemed as though he and Rin were the only two people in the whole world there for a moment, until static could be heard passing through.

"_Oi, Kagamine? You there?_" came the voice again, a little concerned.

Rin waved her gun at him and nodded. "Answer it. But don't you dare think about using some kind of code."

He chuckled darkly. "Why would I? You'd kill me and end my glorious time with you..._Rin_."

As he spoke her name, the word rolled of his tongue in a husky whisper that sent some kind of icy chill down her spine. Rin ignored her shivers as best as she could, growling, "Answer the damn thing."

The golden haired boy's smirk widened as he reached for his belt, unhooking the black object. He pressed down on a button and held it up to his lips. "Kagamine."

The static reply was almost immediate. "_You had us worried. What kept you?_"

"We got a little..." He trailed off, peeking over at her from the corners of his eyes. Rin shifted her weight onto her left leg, raising an eyebrow as a warning before he continued: "...tied up with the Vocaloids."

"_But you both are fine?_" the feminine voice queried.

"Oh, we are just...peachy." His words rolled off his tongue again, the tone of voice making Rin feel...strange. He must've noticed, because he sent a wink in her direction before murmuring, "Say, Piko? How're we doing on food? I know we're supposed to be looking for weapons, but is there anything specific...?"

This time, he wasn't the only one speaking. There were hushed mumbles in the background, yet they were far too quiet for Rin to clearly understand.

"_I know we've got bananas, so you'll be fine._"

He tapped his finger to his chin in thought. "Only three," he said slowly, as though carefully contemplating his words.

Rin took a step closer and knelt down in front of the slender boy on the ground. She let the barrel of her gun touch his head, trailing it down along to his chin. She tipped his head back and held her weapon there as the voice spoke again.

"_It'd be wise to pick up some ice cream, though. You know how Kaito gets if he runs out. And don't let it melt._"

"None of it will melt, Utatane. I can assure you of that."

She narrowed her eyes. Something was off about this conversation. Careful not to make a sound, Rin scooted over until she was beside the boy. She leaned forward, using her free hand to brush his clumped hair aside and let her lips hover over his ear. "No more food chat," she breathed out as quietly as she could, tilting his chin up even more with her gun. "End the conversation now."

"Eh, Piko we have to go." The boy lowered his voice to a whisper and spoke into the little walkie-talkie barely loud enough for even Rin to hear. "There's another suspicious group nearby; gotta check it out."

"_Be sure to check in with me, Kagamine._" There was a pause before he said, "_I'm_ _out_."

"Out," the prisoner replied before dropping the walkie-talkie to the ground. He turned his head in Rin's direction, one of his hands placed over her on the handle of her gun. His eyes shone with amusement. "What's wrong, Rin? You seem...troubled."

Rin pushed the dagger to his cheek and pulled the gun away from him to put it back in its holster. As she moved the shining blade up to the corner of his eye, he closed it, but his smirk refused to leave even under the circumstances. "No person in their right mind will have a conversation about food while they're being held hostage. Now..." She paused and grabbed his wrist, pressing the sharp point of the dagger to his palm. "Tell me what everything meant."

He shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure what you mean. We all have _something_ that has to get us through the depressing state the world's currently in. And for my team, that _something_ is our favorite food."

Rin's nose brushed against his, her sweaty forehead pressing to his. She puffed out air into his face, whispering, "I don't believe you." As she spoke, she drove the dagger into his skin. At first, only a small trickle of blood ran down to his wrist, but as her blade went deeper, crimson liquid gushed from the wound to coat her slender fingers.

While he continued to smirk and hold Rin's gaze, he let out a muffled grunt of pain. Yet, his eyes glistened with some combination of agony and amusement. Almost like...he was enjoying it.

"Tell. Me." She withdrew the dagger and dropped his hand before touching the point to the base of his throat. "The. _Truth_."

"I am," he muttered in a sultry tone.

"I think I might agree with him." Miki's voice jolted Rin out of her cruel thoughts. Rin turned to look at her in complete shock as she continued, nudging the teal-haired boy to the side slightly so that she can meet her gaze firmly. "We all have our own ways of dealing with it. You kill people for the pleasure of seeing them suffer as you have. I sing. Luka dreams about tuna." The red-head girl jerked her head in Luka's direction, and the pinkette narrowed her eyes as Miki went on. "He can very well be telling the truth, especially because he's in a pretty bad position at the moment."

"Have you seen this fool?" Rin spat, gesturing at the blonde kneeling in front of her. "He doesn't care about the amount of danger he's in. It makes no difference to him whether he lies or not."

"I'm not a fool," he growled in response. "You can call me Len, if you wish."

Rin only glared fiercely at him before whipping around to face Miki again. "See? The idiot's trying to build trust."

"You know, Rin, I don't have to be as nice as I am." He grabbed her wrist with his bloody hand, her skin staining a rusty color. His lips were against Rin's ear in a second. "You're so lucky you're this beautiful."

The hair on the back of Rin's neck stood up and a blush crept up to her cheeks, but she refused to acknowledge it, replying back in a sexy and pleasant voice, "And _you're_ lucky that my friends know better than to kill without my permission. Otherwise, you'd be rotting here with bullet holes all through your handsome body." She touched his chest with a finger, smiling seductively before snatching up the walkie-talkie and standing. "Now get up."

Len obeyed without question, clasping his hands behind his back and turning around without Rin having to ask - or demand, rather.

Rin glanced down at herself for a moment before turning to Luka. "Let me see your hair bow."

She raised a brow in confusion, but placed both guns underneath her arm to hold them as she freed her long pink locks from the thick black ribbon. Then, she tossed it to Rin.

The blonde girl clenched the dirty blade of the dagger between her teeth as her hands went to work wrapping the ribbon around Len's head as a makeshift blindfold. The tangy, metallic flavor of Len's blood lingered on her tongue long after she removed her weapon from where she held it in her mouth, and she couldn't help but think it tasted different. Almost..._sweet_.

"Get a blindfold on that fool, too," Rin barked at Miki before she nudged the blond boy forward with the dagger against his back once again. "Now let's go."

"Don't be playing dirty tricks on me, now," he told her as she led him in the direction of their underground bunker.

Rin snorted. "You wish," she growled back.

His steps were slow and hesitant, even though she kept shoving him fiercely in an attempt to get him to move. It went on for a few minutes: him testing each area carefully before placing his foot down while Rin continued to force him onwards.

"Quit dragging your feet," she snapped.

"What if you let me trip?" he countered in an almost childish tone.

"I won't." Rin gripped his shoulders and made him turn to the left, mumbling, "I just kept you from falling into a hole. You should be thankful."

"You only did it because I complained," he snarled back ungratefully.

Rin rolled her eyes and released him. "Fine. Walk yourself back to my camp."

As Len stumbled around with both arms reaching and grasping at the empty air in front of him - like an idiot, because he could've easily taken the blindfold off, Rin heard a low whisper from Miki.

"Is it just me, or would they make a great couple?"

Rin whipped around to face her, bellowing, much louder than she intended, "No!" while Len just broke into a fit of deep-throated chuckles. Rin brought her hand against his head, the handle of the dagger thumping dully against his skull, and he fell quiet.

"Your friend's been awfully quiet," Rin remarked as she took Len by the shoulders again and guided him around the trees.

"Because I'm smart," the teal-haired boy replied simply.

"You know," Len ventured, "You seem awfully lenient with us when you claim that we're prisoners."

Rin rolled her eyes, but figured that she should admit it to him anyway. "Luka over there thinks that we should be expanding the Resistance team. And to do so, I have to show you kindness. But..." She broke off, squeezing his shoulders in a warning so tight that he made an almost inaudible grunt. "Don't think I won't kill you if I find a reason to."

"Tsk, tsk." He shook his head. "Seems you like making threats that you won't keep. How about this...You trust me, and I'll trust you. If I do anything to betray that trust, do as you please. And if you do anything to betray my trust of you, then I won't hesitate to leave some scars in that beautiful skin of yours."

Rin snorted. "Is this some kind of masochist game you want to play?"

"You could think of it like that."

She thought for a moment, and her silence dragged on for a lot longer than she intended. When she reached the very spot where the door to their underground bunker was located, she finally spoke again.

"I have conditions. You both will still be considered our prisoners. I won't trust you until you earn it. And in the event that you destroy my trust, then I'll let the blood spill."

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_**There it is~! Much shorter than the last chapter, I think. Sorry):**_

_**Yea, as for the code between Len and Piko...it only makes sense to me, I'm sure. XD But when Piko asked about the bananas, Len answered 'three,' meaning how many people had captured him and Mikuo. And the ice cream melting was a way of asking if anyone had died. Lol, fail. XD And Piko's saying, "I'm out" is his way of saying he's going to look for him. **_

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**.::Review Replies::.**

**Mikumikufan100**:_ OMG! Thanks for being the first reviewer! And thanks for reading!:D_

**Lena**:_ Oh, I love the apocalypse, especially the zombie apocalypse. But I would crash and burn in a world like that; I'm such a sissy XD Thanks for reading and reviewing! It means a lot!(:_

**BlueAnimeBunnies**:_ Honestly, I'd never heard of the song before you reviewed about it but crap...it's so similar. D: Thanks for reviewing!_

**Darkflower123**:_ Thank you so, so, soooo much(:_

**UniqueRosePetals12**:_ Haha! X3 Thanks! I'm so glad you've read like all of my fanfics! I'm so flattered =3= And I fixed that error; thanks for pointing it out!(:_

**Lizzie-rivers**:_ I sent that freaking novel PM in reply, so... XD_

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**_Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading, guys!_**

**_(:Mizune_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**I suddenly had an idea for this. And I wanted to write it as soon as possible.**_

_**I want to thank everyone who's read and reviewed this story. (:**_

_**EDIT: June 19, 2013 - Rewriting this into 3rd person POV.**_

_**Enjoy Chapter Three~!**_

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**Last Chapter.**

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_"You know," Len ventured, "You seem awfully lenient with us when you claim that we're prisoners."_

_Rin rolled her eyes, but figured that she should admit it to him anyway. "Luka over there thinks that we should be expanding the Resistance team. And to do so, I have to show you kindness. But..." She broke off, squeezing his shoulders in a warning so tight that he made an almost inaudible grunt. "Don't think I won't kill you if I find a reason to."_

_"Tsk, tsk." He shook his head. "Seems you like making threats that you won't keep. How about this...You trust me, and I'll trust you. If I do anything to betray that trust, do as you please. And if you do anything to betray my trust of you, then I won't hesitate to leave some scars in that beautiful skin of yours."_

_Rin snorted. "Is this some kind of masochist game you want to play?"_

_"You could think of it like that."_

_She thought for a moment, and her silence dragged on for a lot longer than she intended. When she reached the very spot where the door to their underground bunker was located, she finally spoke again._

_"I have conditions. You both will still be considered our prisoners. I won't trust you until you earn it. And in the event that you destroy my trust, then I'll let the blood spill."_

* * *

**Chapter Three.**

After going through the specific series of knocks on the wooden door that leads to the cleverly hidden bunker beneath the forest floor, Rin flung open the sturdy piece of wood and called out, "We're back, guys! And we've got prisoners."

Mikuo was the first to descend down the latter that led to the small underground shelter held together with dirt and lit by the dim, flickering lights of our candles and lanterns (assuming that they had enough to spare, that is). Miki followed. And after Rin argued with Len and insisted that she wasn't going to let him fall down, he went in next. Rin told Luka to be careful at covering up the hatch with the undergrowth before descending after them.

The little dirt room glowed from the golden light of the little fires that sputtered from the many shrinking candles they had stacked in every corner. A wooden crate sat next to the rusty latter that led to the outside world, and it was filled with ratty blankets and our old and tattered clothing. Beside it was a small stack of food, nothing healthy; they were lucky to get to eat. Having the occasional bag of chips and little pack of crackers that they stole off the guards they beat down was like a blessing. They kept their weapons all in a pile beside the food; that way, they had the rest of the small space to ourselves.

There were eight of them in their team. It used to be nine, but Aria ended up caught in the crossfire between them and the Vocaloids a few weeks back. Luka had been devastated at her sister's death, but she continued to push on. One would expect her to become violent and desperate for bloodshed and revenge. But, like the wise eighteen-year-old girl she was, she started to insist on peace. She wanted nothing more than to kill Master and to put an end to the suffering.

Rin had come across Miki not long after meeting Luka and Aria. She had been lying on the ground in a puddle of her own blood, oozing from cuts that extended all over her body. Even now – nearly a month and a half later – she still had those thin, pink scars decorating her arms and legs. She was a lot stronger than she had been when they first met her, but she still refused to discuss what happened to her before they became her friends.

Then they had a collision with Oliver. He had been a strange boy, caught in the middle of a circle of Vocaloids as they fired their weapons at him in an attempt to shoot him down. Yet, even for a young kid – only thirteen – he had one hand clasped over his left eye as it gushed blood and used the other to continue aiming at the enemies. Had Rin's team not heard the commotion so near their camp at the time, they would've never met the little blond boy.

After they migrated away from that general area, they crossed paths with the twins, Rei and Rui. They had been resting at the roots of a tree, tranquil, as though they had never known pain. Rin grew to understand their reasoning later, however; they were perfectly content with life as long as they had each other. Being fourteen and thinking that they would never be able to have a true relationship, the black-haired twins decided to experiment with each other and found their love so addicting that they simply couldn't stop. It didn't matter how wrong or gross it was; there were no rules for fugitives, anyway.

Once they found themselves having to move again, they ended up meeting Gumi and Iroha. The two girls happened to step-sisters, and they had lived here with their father before he was killed by the Vocaloids. Since this little bunker was by far the safest they'd ever come across, the lot of them decided that they would stay there and protect it with their lives.

Rin's hands went to work untying the blindfold around Len's eyes, while Miki did the same to the teal-haired prisoner.

"Are they Vocaloids?" Rui asked as she approached them, her golden eyes twinkling with interest.

"No." Rin tossed the black ribbon into the crate behind them and set the walkie-talkie down by the guns. "They're harmless. At least, that one is," she corrected herself, jerking her head in Mikuo's direction as Miki pointed to the ground in a signal for him to sit. "You'll have to watch out for this one."

"Aww, come now," Len purred, turning his head to half-meet Rin's eyes. "I'm not _that_ bad."

Rin's green-haired friend, Gumi, padded over to her, one finger tapping against her chin in respective thought. She took Len's chin in between her index finger and thumb and leaned closer to his face, her aqua eyes widened in curiosity. Then, she looked back up to Rin. "What do you intend to do with them?"

"Not sure yet." Rin grabbed Len by his shoulders and guided him toward the wall where he could sit next to his teammate. Probably not the smartest idea on her part, but they were horribly outnumbered here, so it would be stupid of them to try anything. He obeyed her, crouching down to take a seat before smirking up at her like he always did.

"I'm still thinking that they would be a valuable addition to our group," Luka said as she joined them in the half-circle they'd formed around the two prisoners. She crossed her arms and turned to Rin. It was mostly her choice whether they stayed or went, after all.

"But we have a team of our own," Len pointed out, glancing around at everyone with a bored expression until his eyes landed on the petite blonde girl. He grinned. "It'd be a shame to just leave them."

"And," Oliver added loudly, "it would make them less loyal to us if they had other people they were tied down to."

"The kid has a good point," Miki murmured, closing her auburn eyes and sighing in thought.

Luka shrugged, folding her arms across her over-sized chest. "I never said the rest of their team couldn't become a part of ours."

Rin started shaking her head immediately, and that drew all the attention to her. "We can't trust them. We don't know enough –"

"_Utatane to Kagamine. Requesting information on your mission progress._"

The smirk that danced across Len's lips upon hearing the staticky voice of his comrade was one of secrecy and lies. It told Rin that something was definitely up in that screwed up mind of his. She narrowed her eyes and waved her hand toward the little object, lying amongst the pile of guns and knives, growling, "Miki, answer that."

The redhead nodded and padded over to the walkie-talkie, bending over to pick it up off the ground. She held it in her dainty hand, one long, slender finger poised over the button. "What am I supposed to say?"

"Anything." Rin whipped her head in Len's direction, pointing and glaring at him accusingly. "And you better as hell keep your mouth shut. Both of you."

Miki's clear voice rang out in the bunker, echoing off the dirt walls as they all held their breath to listen to the conversation that would be unfolding. "I'm sorry, but Kagamine is a little bit busy at the moment."

The reply came immediately. "_And who are you?"_

She glanced over at Rin, and the blonde gave her a nod of approval. Holding the little orange button down, she spoke directly into the little device. "Name's Miki. I happened to be a member of a fairly large and strong Resistance team. And who might you be, Utatane?"

"_I don't owe you any explanation as to who I am_."

"Awww, come on. I told you. It's only fair," Miki said in a pleading, yet playful voice.

The boy on the other end brought up something else. "_You're a girl, huh? Girls can't fight._"

His words not only offended Miki – which was obvious from the way her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened a little – but also the rest of them. Okay, maybe _offended _wasn't the right word. _Enraged _is more like it.

"My whole team happens to be made of girls, Utatane," Miki told him when she got over her frustration, her words just as teasing as they had been at the start of their conversation.

"_It's a wonder you've survived this long, then._"

Miki's eyes darted over to Rin before she said, "Is that a challenge?"

"_I wouldn't challenge you because I know you'd lose. As I said before, Miki, you're just a girl_." When he spoke her name, he spat it out with sarcasm.

The redhead rolled her eyes and gave Rin an amused smile before telling him, "All the more reason for me to show up and kick your ass."

His reply didn't come immediately as the others had, so they fell into an uncomfortable silence of them glancing at each other and wondering how things would turn out. Rei and Rui whispered into each other's ear about the situation, while Luka merely heaved a sigh and slumped to the ground to wait. It figured that she was the most anxious to hear his response; the pinkette probably hoped that some kind of peace could be worked out between their groups.

The seconds turned into a minute, and slowly they started to pile up. Iroha broke the quiet, murmuring, "You think he'll respond?"

"He has to."

The words were spoken by none other than Len, who had buried his face into his knees, his legs pulled up to his chest. His tangled and bloodstained hair fell like a curtain around his head. Even though they couldn't see his expression, they could hear the smirk in his voice.

"You have Mikuo and I, after all. His top priority will be getting the two of us back."

Rin dropped down onto her knees and grabbed a fist full of his matted hair, yanking it so that he had to look into her eyes. "What did you say his name was?"

"Piko." He took no time to think about it or tease her.

"Miki, call him by his name," Rin ordered as she let go of Len and stood back up to approach her.

"Got it." The girl held the walkie-talkie back up to her mouth, leaning back against the wall and heaving a bored sigh. "Piko, you there?"

"_You know my name how_?"

"Our prisoners, Len and Mikuo, have taken a liking to us. Now tell me. Are you backing out of my challenge?"

"_Eh, no Miki, I sure wasn't. In fact, I was setting a few rules._"

Miki looked over to her blonde leader for guidance, but Rin only gave her a nod as a signal to keep it going. "Oh? Like what?"

"_We meet. Just the two of us. No weapons, no friends. Just you and me._"

"Go on…"

"_You and I can fight with our bare hands._"

"Are you sure you wanna do that? I mean, I'm pretty strong. And to be quite honest, you kinda sound like a defenseless little girl."

Rui snickered from where she stood next to her brother and whispered something into his ear that resulted in him scowling with feigned anger.

"_It's okay, Miki. I'll be sure to make you pay for those words tomorrow._"

"Ah, so we're doing this tomorrow, then?"

"_Affirmative. But only if you let me know that Len and Mikuo are still alive. Because when I win, I'm taking them back._"

"Oh, are you now?" Miki taunted back, spinning on one heel and letting her hair dance around her slender body. "And what do I get when _I_ win?"

"If_ you win, which is highly unlikely, I'll let you take whatever you want._"

"Hmm…" Miki bit down on her bottom lip in thought. She let her gaze wander around everyone on her team, but none of them spoke up. They only wanted to see how she would handle this situation. And her response was not one that surprised any of them. "If I win, Piko, then you will become our prisoner as well."

"_It's a deal. But you have to let me know that Len and Mikuo are alive and well_."

Miki groaned and tossed the walkie-talkie to our blonde prisoner, who caught it easily in one hand.

"I'm here, Piko," he said, with a hint of boredom lacing his voice. "And I'm fine. Actually, it's pretty nice being trapped here with all girls." Len's smirk sent a chill down Rin's spine, which she responded to by dealing him a strong kick to the side. He only grunted in response.

"_Why must you always joke about dangerous situations?"_

Len shrugged, even though he was well aware that his friend wasn't able to see it. "Gotta get by somehow. Besides, their leader is gorgeous."

Something prickled beneath Rin's skin, trailing up her neck and resting at her cheeks. She could feel her face getting warmer and warmer when Gumi, Miki, and Luka started to chuckle and murmur at his words. Miki smiled at Rin and mouthed the words, '_I told you so!'_ but Rin chose to ignore her as best as she could. Tuning herself back into Len's conversation with Piko, Rin snatched the walkie-talkie from him and passed it back off to her redhead friend, growling, "You damn pervert. I don't know what you think you'll accomplish by flirting with me, but it won't get you anywhere."

"How about we meet by the gorge when the sun is at its highest?" Miki suggested to her newest foe, pulling Rin from her argument with Len.

"_That sounds like a plan. I look forward to crushing you, Miki."_

"And I look forward to showing you what we girls can really do." Miki tossed the little object into the air and caught it as she turned back to Rin with a big smile. "Piece of cake."

"You do realize that you aren't going there alone?" Rin told her sternly, fixing her with an almost motherly glare. She folded her arms across her chest, breaking eye-contact only for a moment as Gumi padded over to stand at her side.

"Oh, I know that." She shrugged and lowered herself to the ground to sit crisscross in the dirt. "I highly doubt he'll show up alone, either. But I seriously do look forward to teaching that cocky son-of-gun a lesson."

"We all know that you'll win, Miki," agreed Gumi, nodding a few times enthusiastically.

"I doubt that. Piko's a pretty strong guy," Len remarked grimly.

"Miki can handle him." Oliver spoke before Rin got the chance, narrowing his one eye at the prisoner.

Len closed his eyes and gave a careless shrug. "You're mistaken, kid. Piko's almost as bloodthirsty as I am. Once he sees a single drop of blood, the boy goes berserk."

"Let's drop the chat," Luka suggested, rising to her feet once more. She padded over to their pile of food and bent to pick up a few crushed bags of chips, along with some of the other snacks they had stocked up. It wasn't anything satisfying, but it would tide them over. "I think we should eat and celebrate that none of us were killed during our rounds today." She sat down next to Miki, folding her legs under her bottom.

"I sure hope you're going to let us have a little bit, too," Len said, narrowing his cerulean eyes at me.

As Rin snatched up two of their water bottles in her hand, she shrugged. "You'd gripe about it all night long if we don't," she pointed out, plopping down next to him.

Len turned to look at her, his smirk widening as he leaned even closer to her face. Rin frowned at the action, but she sat there and waited until his lips were almost against hers. At that moment, he murmured, "Wise choice, _Princess_."

"Wrong choice, _mo-ron_," Rin snapped back, emphasizing herwords and giving him a good thwack to the head.

As Luka passed the food around the circle they'd made, Rin began to wonder what the hell Len's deal was. After all, he'd only just met her, yet he flirted like there was no tomorrow. Rin supposed she could think of _logical_ reasons for that, but the only thing that continued to come to her mind was that he was merely deprived of the sex that he missed so much.

Yea, that one sounded about right.

"Rin, you're spacing out again." Rui snapped her fingers rapidly from where she sat beside Rin, waving one of her hands a few inches in front of the blonde girl's face.

Rin blinked a few times to clear her mind and opened her mouth to reply, only to stop when Len said, "She's thinking about me, again."

"No!" she practically growled at him as her face flushed. He was right, and that irritated her. If that idiot could tell that she was blushing, he'd never let her hear the end of it.

_Then…I could always just kill him._

"Anyways, pass the water around." Rui's golden eyes were wide and innocent as she reached to take one of the bottles from Rin.

"Er, sorry." Rin unscrewed the lid on the second bottle and lifted it to her lips to wash down the stale chips she'd eaten. It felt good to have that cool liquid dripping down her throat after a long day in the sun, sweating like a dog. But, unfortunately, that good feeling had to end at some point. She couldn't hog it all; that wouldn't be fair. Clenching her fingers tightly around the plastic, Rin turned to Len. "Pass it on," she snarled as she handed it off to him.

"Look at you, giving me an indirect kiss already," he teased before tilting his head back to take a swig.

"Keep up with the comments, Len." Rin frowned at him as he gave the bottle to Mikuo.

"Rinny, I've never seen you so kind towards a prisoner," Iroha remarked. She looked up through the salmon-pink bangs that came down just past her eyebrows, a lop-sided smirk forming upon her lips.

Rin rolled her eyes. "Well what do you want me to do? Take him outside and beat him?"

"That would be much more in character for you." Gumi chuckled a little bit before focusing all of her attention on the teal-haired prisoner. 'And what about you, cutie? Why haven't you said anything?"

Mikuo swallowed, his eyes widening and darting to and fro as though he wasn't sure if he should respond. At last, after handing off the bottle of water to Oliver sitting at his right, he stammered, "I-I-er-I just d-don't want to g-get h-hurt."

"Dammit, Mikuo, you're such a sissy," Len scolded, rolling his eyes and leaning back against the wall as though to relax.

Mikuo ducked his head to avoid the stares and didn't reply.

"Well, then." Miki clapped her hands together. "I think we should all get to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

"Agreed." Rin gave a curt nod and rose to her feet, holding out her hands to collect the empty water bottles and food wrappers. "We need to have someone keeping watch tonight, since those two idiots might try something." She jerked her head in Len's direction.

"I can take the first post," Oliver offered, lifting his hand into the air. "I haven't been doing enough recently, anyways."

"Very well." Rin gathered a few of the ragged, grimy blankets from the wooden crate and padded back over to the group. "The twins can keep watch after you, Oliver. I want them here to keep tabs on Len and Mikuo while we're out following Miki."

Rui crossed her arms and pouted. "Why can't we go with you?"

Rin dropped one of the sheets down into her arms. "Because I want the strongest of us out in the field."

The black-haired girl snorted as she lay back and started situating the blanket over her body. "Ain't that like a slap to the face?" She rolled onto her side to face her brother and nuzzled down into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her scrawny frame.

Rin handed the next thin sheet to Miki, who started to cover up with Gumi and Luka on either side of her. Passing the last of the covers to Len and Mikuo, Iroha and Rin slipped underneath the sheet with Rei and Rui, the two of them being careful not to get in the way of the twins' passionate make-out session.

Len smirked over at the blonde girl. "You can sleep over here with me, you know."

Rin rolled her eyes and looked to Oliver, who had made himself comfortable leaning against the dirt wall nearest to Miki. "Make sure he doesn't try to rape me in my sleep or anything." She yawned. "I'll deal with him tomorrow."

"Anything, boss."

* * *

_**Crap. I had hoped to go so much further than that, but if I actually went into the fight scene, this chapter might have turned into something like 7k words. D: **_

_**PLEASE GO VOTE ON MY POLL! Vote for your top 5 favorite Vocaloid couples. I will love you forever if you do so;)**_

_**I'll also love you forever if you leave a review!:D**_

* * *

_**.::Review Replies::.**_

_**Guest-e: **__Hehe, so my code worked? :3 Thanks for reviewing! I appreciate it^^_

_**BlueAnimeBunnies: **__It's okay…I'm not the best at coming up with clever codes and stuff. XD It really sucked. Thanks for reviewing!^^_

_**Adorable Reader: **__Hehe, thank you~!_

_**Candybear24: **__Thank youuu!(: I'll always be updating. ;)_

_**Ten-Faced: **__I'm pretty sure I PMed you…but I'll reply here anyways. :D I was soo happy to see you reviewing my story! *squeal* And Rin enjoys inflicting pain. Aww. I still need to go read more of your stories, anyway. I haven't combed through all of them yet. Hehe~! You're welcome^^ Thanks for reading it!(:_

_**UniqueRosePetals12: **__Some people are…My code wasn't that great. It was very…childish, I suppose. XD Lol, really? Well, as I was writing, I realized I wrote something about her liking the taste of blood, and I wasn't sure if people would think she was a vampire for it, or…. XD I really do. Masochists are fun to write for, if I can stick to that specific personality. Yay~! Thank you for reviewing!(: _

_**Lizzie-rivers: **__Haha, as I told the others, not the best code ever. DX You seriously think it's funny? I never thought I was good at the humor, lol. Thank you soo much! Yay~! Hope you enjoyed it!(:_

_**(:Mizune**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Sorry the update took a couple of weeks! :/ I've been working on my other stories, and summer has not been kind to me so far. *sighs* I have poison ivy._**

**_Here's the fight scene that may or may not surprise you all;) Though I can say that it seems like some kind of weird lemon. All of my fight scenes turn out like that. And this is like the 3rd one I've written! *groans* Enjoy~!_**

**_EDIT: June 19, 2013- Rewriting this in 3rd person POV_**

* * *

**Last Chapter.**

_Len smirked over at the blonde girl. "You can sleep over here with me, you know."_

_Rin rolled her eyes and looked to Oliver, who had made himself comfortable leaning against the dirt wall nearest to Miki. "Make sure he doesn't try to rape me in my sleep or anything." She yawned. "I'll deal with him tomorrow."_

_"Anything, boss."_

* * *

**Chapter Four.**

"Is everyone ready?" Rin paused where she stood at the base of the rusty ladder, her left hand grasping one of the cold metal rungs. She glanced over her shoulder to inspect those standing behind her, shuffling quietly as they passed weapons to each other and murmured near-silent words of encouragement. Luka gave a curt nod from where she stood next to Miki in answer to Rin's question. Yet, the redhead seemed quite distracted.

Miki stood straight up with her arms folded across her chest, her distant auburn gaze fixed on the small flame flickering from one of the candles. She was dressed in the usual black tank top and dark shorts that exposed her smooth legs. The thin pink scars that she was so self-conscious about were clearly visible on her arms, but the ones on her legs were mostly hidden by her high boots. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, but her cherry-red bangs still fell into her half-closed eyes.

"You're nervous, huh?" Rin murmured softly, padding towards her to rest her hand on her shoulder.

She jumped at the touch, but when she met Rin's gaze, she sighed. "Just a little," Miki admitted, forcing a tiny smile. "I mean...I don't even know what this guy looks like. For all we know, he could be some really buff, six foot tall man who knows karate. Going out there is like a death wish."

Before Rin could say anything reassuring to her, Luka spoke up. "Miki, we're gonna be there to back you up if anything goes wrong, so don't worry." The pinkette grinned and patted her gently on the back. "You'll be fine."

"Yea." Rin nodded, and Miki turned to look at her expectantly. "Even though you made a deal not to bring any weapons, remember to use your surroundings to your advantage."

Her gaze was blank for a moment, but she blinked a couple of times before nodding. "Thanks, guys. I-" Miki heaved a sigh and ran her hands along the front of her shirt as though to clear away imaginary dirt; her attention rested on Rin. "I won't let you down."

Rin flashed her a smile before pushing between her and Luka to see those who were sitting on the ground, leaning back against the dirt wall: Rei, Rui, and Gumi. Sitting a few feet away from them were Len and Mikuo; Len, wearing an expression of amusement, and Mikuo, just one of anxiety.

"You'll be okay with them?" Rin asked, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the two boys.

Gumi nodded, waving one hand dismissively. "Oh, yea. We got them under control."

Len snickered, his gaze resting on Rin. "What, are you too afraid to watch me on your own, _baby Rinny_?"

Rin's movements were quick as she crossed the underground bunker, flipping her knife out from where she kept it hidden in her pocket. The dull blade glinted in the light as she dropped onto her knees in front of him, pressing it up against the base of his throat. He smirked at her, but didn't move away when she growled, "Call me that again, and I'll cut your throat out." As quickly as she'd pinned him against the wall, she backed away, shoving her switch-blade back into the pocket of her shorts and moving back toward the ladder.

"I still want to know why Rei and I can't go," Rui said loudly, stomping over to Rin with her arms crossed and golden eyes glittering with anger.

"Because you guys need to keep an eye on Len and Mikuo," Rin told her, exaggerating her words as though she were talking to a five year old, and patting her on the head.

Rui wrenched away from Rin. "I better get picked first on the next mission you idiots have," she snarled venomously as she swiveled on her heel.

Rin only rolled her eyes. Rui was the kind of girl who always wanted to be the center of the action, but to be honest, putting her out there scared Rin. While, sure, Rin loved to beat people senseless and watch them bleed, her friends have become very important to her, and with Rui being as young as she was, she never did feel like she was tough enough to handle gunfights and such - which were most common. Iroha and Oliver were younger than she, though Rin had seen them in action a lot more, and they really could kick butt. But, Rui's snappy remarks and cockiness show that she's perfectly capable of doing such things as they are.

Wordlessly, Rin waved her hand at the hatch above the ladder as a signal for Luka to head on up. She did so, pushing the door up slowly and peering out first just in case before she flung it all the way open and hauled herself out.

"Goodbye, ladies~!" Len sang out, throwing Rin a wink when she shot a glare at him.

Oliver paused where he was halfway up the ladder, whipping around to stare at Len with fire in his one golden eye. He didn't say anything; the look on his face explained it all.

Len smirked. "Like I said...goodbye _ladies_~!"

"Ignore him." Rin waited until Oliver was successfully out of the bunker before she followed.

"Oh, hey, Rin?"

Releasing one rung and spinning around to look at Len, Rin growled, "What!?"

His smirk grew wider. "Nice ass."

Rin scowled, but she knew she was blushing. "If I didn't need my shoe, I'd throw it at your pretty face."

:::::::

"Guys, I can hear the river," Rin whispered softly, so quietly that even Miki couldn't hear from several yards ahead of them. Rin paused briefly to glance at the group of people behind her. "Be careful and quiet from here on out. And remember the plan." That said, Rin flicked her wrist in the direction their red-haired companion was headed.

The plan. Well, it was simple. While Miki and that Utatane idiot duke it out, they wanted to surround them so that they could all have a good shot at Utatane if things get nasty. Kind of a dirty move, on their part, but she was certain they aren't staying true to their word, either.

They glided along through the trees, careful not to snap any twigs or crunch leaves beneath their feet, and while most of them struggled at that, Oliver was definitely the stealthiest. She never knew what it was with that blond kid; he just crept around on his bare feet like a cat.

Rin held her Glock* up to her chest, ready to pull back the safety and press the trigger at any second. Luka was right behind her, almost too close for comfort, but she had to push back that irritation and focus on the matter at hand. Oliver was right on her heels, while Iroha brought up the rear. And none of them made a sound, save for Miki, as she was the only one supposed to even be there.

They followed her through the throng of trees for what felt like ages, the rushing of the current from the nearby river getting louder and louder with each passing second. And not only that - the woods seemed to get thicker and thicker as well, until they felt they may be well-hidden within the dark shadows. Rin waved one hand down by her hip, as a sign for them to stay back. Up ahead, there was a little break in the thick canopy of trees to allow the sun to shine down.

And there, in that small area of sunlight, Rin saw a figure. A scrawny person, no doubt about that, though he had the brightest white hair she'd ever seen.

She pointed to her left and nodded her head at Luka. Understanding Rin's actions, the pinkette beckoned for the others to follow her and make their way around and circle the two.

"Are you Piko?" Miki's voice rang out, and Rin quickly moved forward to hide behind a tree with a fat trunk, cautiously peeking out to watch them.

Piko's hair was shoulder long, and ragged, too, even the ahoge that rose up into the air - quite similar to Miki's. Even from a distance, it was easy to tell that one of his eyes was a shimmering sky blue, and the other, a bright grassy green. He was definitely a small guy, too, though he did reach almost up to Miki's height. Fingerless gloves covered his hands, and he had an almost skin-tight white shirt and a pair of baggy dark pants.

A mischievous smile crossed his lips as he extended his hand. "You must be Miki," he replied, in a voice that was almost girlish, yet smooth like honey - kind of like Len.

Miki only stared at him, her muscles tense.

His grin turned into a taunting smirk, and he took a step forward. "What, I can't shake your hand before a fight?"

"Strange request, considering you're about to get your ass handed to you," she spat back, but she reached forward to grasp his hand anyway.

Piko chuckled, his grip tightening on her as he yanked her forward until their chests were pressed together. Though he had to look up at her a couple of inches, he didn't look intimidated, only amused...in a rather creepy way. "Wrong choice, girly," he whispered throatily, before shoving Miki backward.

The redhead squealed in surprise as they stumbled over each other's feet until he pushed her back into the trunk of a tree. Rin could hear her sharp intake of breath at the moment of contact, but she opened her fiery auburn eyes and glared at him with more ferocity than Rin had ever seen. By then, he'd pinned her wrist to her side, but his other hand was pressed against her shoulder. He leaned closer to her face.

"Want to reconsider?" Piko murmured. "I'd hate to beat up a pretty girl like yourself."

"As if!" Miki spat, sticking her tongue out as he pulled away. "I think it's obvious who'll win between the two of us, you pathetic shota!"

"You think I'm a pathetic shota?" Piko chuckled darkly as the hand he had rested on her shoulder found her other wrist and brought it above her head. "I can show you just how wrong you are." He did the same with her other wrist, catching them both with one hand. He let his free hand trail along her cheek to her collarbone, and Miki shivered.

"Are you gonna sit there and sweet-talk me, or are you gonna man up and hit me?" the red-haired girl growled, shaking her head slightly to get the bangs out of her eyes.

"I can do both, actually," he whispered, winking.

Miki stamped her foot down. "I swear to God, if you touch me inappropriately, I will kick you so damn hard that you'll never get to have kids." While Piko was too shocked to respond to her sudden outburst, she shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Not that any girl would ever want _you_."

"So you're ready for this?" he prompted, squeezing her wrists tightly.

"I've been ready for a long time. Stall a little bit more, shota." Miki pushed back against him, but stopped after a moment. "You already owe me for wasting ten minutes of my life."

He shrugged. "You asked for it. Don't be angry at me when you lose a few teeth." Before Miki could even respond - or Rin could even blink - he brought his clenched fist down hard against her cheek, releasing her wrists at the exact same time so that she went flying to the ground at the force. "That enough for you, Miki?" he taunted, padding over to where she knelt on her hands and knees. "Think you could '_man up_' and fight back?" Piko snorted and drew back his leg for a kick. "Typical girl. I told you they can't fight." He swung forward, the toe of his shoe digging into her stomach.

Miki gasped in pain, but wrapped her arms around his foot before he was able to pull back. The extra weight took him by surprise; Piko fell backward onto the ground with a little yelp. Clutching the leg of his pants tightly, Miki tugged him closer before pouncing on top of him. One of her hands rested on his shoulder, pinning him to the ground, while the other was balled into a fist.

"I've got the upper hand now, Utatane," she growled as a drop of blood dripped from her lip onto his pure white shirt. Miki cracked him hard across the face once, and then again before he had a chance to stop her. She lifted her fist once more, prepared for another strike, but somehow the little white-haired boy managed to wrap his arms around her and roll her over so that he was on top.

Though, Miki refused to let him have control. Just as soon as he pressed her back into the ground, she pushed up against him to shove him to the side. The two rolled around in the dirt, crumbled pieces of leaves clinging in their messy hair and dried blood staining their chins from the punches.

Rin shifted from where she stood, moving to another tree so she could have a better view as Miki finally broke their rolling around to stumble to her feet away from him. He rose to his feet as well, wiping away the crimson smears with the back of his hand as he staggered toward her.

"Afraid to take another hit, Miki?" he sneered as she backed away from him.

"Not at all," she gasped out, moving her foot backwards, only to halt when she realized that there was nothing beneath it. Miki stole a glance over her shoulder to look at the rushing river before her, and a soft whisper escaped her lips by accident. "Oh, God, _no_..."

"What's wrong?" Piko stepped closer to her until he was able to grab her by the straps of her tank top and hold her over the edge precariously. Miki's hands immediately shot up to clench his wrists, and it was obvious even from a distance how wide and frightened her eyes were. "Is _someone_ afraid of heights? Or water? Or-" he broke off with a fake gasp. "-or _both_?"

Miki was clearly struggling against him, but she didn't try too hard for fear that he would just release her and let her fall to her death. Though it wasn't that far a fall...

Piko slowly dropped her to her knees, shoving her down until she was on her back and her head dangled over the edge, her long red locks fluttering around in the soft breeze. "Does _Miki_ want to fall to her death...?" he murmured quietly, leaning closer to her face. "Oh, there are some rocks jutting out over there. Maybe I can _throw you_ in that direction. That'd make a good _beating_, wouldn't it?"

She stayed silent, though Rin was sure she was whimpering.

A faint whistle, more like the near-silent call of a bird, interrupted Rin's focus on the two. She snapped her head in Luka's direction. The pinkette gestured toward Piko and Miki, asking if they should do anything. Rin shook her head firmly and looked back to the pair. Miki could handle herself, Rin was confident in that.

"Hm." Piko glared down at her before smirking. "You know, I might let you go if you_ beg_. _Beg me_ for your life. _Beg for me_ to let you up. Pretend that I'm your _master_, Miki."

"I'm not _that_ pathetic," she mumbled.

"Very well. Guess you're going down." He started to nudge her further over the edge of the gorge.

Miki brought her legs up closer to her belly and managed to shove him backward by kicking him in the guy, which not only surprised Rin, but also her opponent. After inching away from the edge, she got to her feet again and moved towards him, screeching, "Don't screw with me!"

Piko smirked as he brought himself to his feet and prepared for her attack. Miki leaped at him, expecting to tackle him to the ground, but instead pushing him into a tree. She moved to punch him across the face, but he pushed her back before she could. Her hand grasped at his ratty hair as they tumbled to the ground, Piko gripping her upper arm strong enough to leave bruises where his fingers had been. They rolled over once before separating, Miki grabbing a random stick that rested near her on the ground.

The white-haired boy tried to duck out of the way as she spun around on one foot, but he was unable to avoid the strong branch cracking against his head. However, he was up very soon after falling to the ground, dodging her next blow with ease before grasping the stick and yanking it out of her hands so fiercely that Miki jolted forward until she was in his arms.

"Aww, how sweet," he spat, before swirling around and pushing her back into the trunk of yet another tree. She cried out softly, but managed to punch him in the gut before he could hit her face again. Piko brought his knee up to her stomach a little more fiercely than she'd hit him, and the force caused the redhead to collapse to the ground in a fit of coughs.

Rin dashed from her cover to hide behind a tree closer to the two so she could have a better view, only she bumped into something. No...someone.

She whipped her head to her right to see which of her idiot comrades dare get in her way, but...

...did she know a guy with pink hair in a mess and yellow eyes?

"Aw hell," the pink-haired boy growled, just loud enough so that Piko and Miki stopped in their scuffle and turned to look in their direction. Even though Rin's muscles felt frozen from shock, she reared back and knocked the guy pretty hard in the face.

Piko whipped to glare at Miki, shouting, "You lied!"

Miki shouted the same thing back before breaking into another little fight.

The guy on the ground fired his gun - thank God that Rin hit him pretty good, because his vision was blurry from the blood that dripped into his eye and struck a spot a few inches above her head in the trunk of the tree.

At the sound of the echoing gunshot, a chorus of guns went off around them, some from her friends and some from Piko's team, or so she assumed. Rin glanced over at Luka, who had ducked down behind a tree to avoid some tall, silver-haired boy aiming at her.

Rin leaped on top of the pink-haired boy, and after a brief skirmish, she managed to knock the gun from his hand. Only...he did the same to her. They staggered to their feet, punching and slapping and shoving as much as they could. Rin tried to go for her knife, but the bastard didn't give her even a split second to do so.

And then a loud whistle cut through the air.

The battle seemed to go into slow motion, as Rin whipped her head over to see Piko shove Miki to the side to catch a pistol that had been tossed in his direction. And he aimed it directly at Rin.

The gun went off right as a loud cry of protest pierced the air. Miki had flung herself at Piko in an attempt to stop him from shooting, but she was too late. She wrapped her arms around his thin frame and pushed him back, sending the both of them over the edge of the gorge and plummeting into the rushing river below.

And the pink-haired guy behind Rin collapsed to the ground.

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**_Which of them died?_**

**_*Glock-That's a gun, right? I know nothing about weapons. XD_**

**_No time for review replies this time, but I really do appreciate the reviews, and I swear I'll reply to them next chapter! Tell me what you think! (Yes, I know it got sloppy at the end. It's almost midnight, I'm tired, but I really want this updated before I go to bed.)_**

**_(:Mizune_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**IMPORTANT: **__I rewrote the last four chapters of this in 3__rd__ person POV. Because…PikoxMiki has pretty much become my OTP and I want to include their cute moments. And I simply can't stand to switch POVs if it's 1__st__ person. Sooo….this story is now in 3__rd__ person POV._

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**Last Chapter.**

_And then a loud whistle cut through the air._

_The battle seemed to go into slow motion, as Rin whipped her head over to see Piko shove Miki to the side to catch a pistol that had been tossed in his direction. And he aimed it directly at Rin._

_The gun went off right as a loud cry of protest pierced the air. Miki had flung herself at Piko in an attempt to stop him from shooting, but she was too late. She wrapped her arms around his thin frame and pushed him back, sending the both of them over the edge of the gorge and plummeting into the rushing river below._

_And the pink-haired guy behind Rin collapsed to the ground._

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**Chapter Five.**

_They say drowning is excruciatingly painful. You can feel your lungs slowly filling up with water with each breath you take. It's a gradual suffocation. You get a mouthful of water instead of precious air. Panic sets in, and in turn, you thrash and struggle more, desperate to live. But if you're so far under and no one's around to rescue you…you're only causing your inevitable death to come sooner. And that's psychological torture. Nothing's worse…_

Miki clamped her mouth shut in a feeble attempt to deny the cold, rushing water of the river the chance to flood into her lungs. Her legs thrashed about frantically as she tried to swim her way back up to the surface – but which was up? It was all the same to her; the swirling current flung her around like a ragdoll. And then there was the extra weight that was dragging her down – and what the _hell_ was it anyway?

Her head bobbed above the surface for a split second, and that was plenty enough time for her to suck in a deep breath of sweet, sweet air before being plunged down into the depths again. A cold, icy feeling stretched along her aching body the longer she stayed below, but something told her to hold on. She flailed with her one free arm, the other wrapped around _someone_'s thin frame as the two of them squirmed in attempt to reach the surface again.

She couldn't remember what had been happening only seconds ago, before she was thrown into the river. It felt as though she'd been there for ages, gasping when she had the chance for a little air, and scrambling for the surface when she was trapped under the dark water.

All she knew was that she was going to die.

But Miki wasn't prepared to lose her life the _one _way she was most terrified to.

The sound of the churning water rang in her ears, in a muted way. Only for a few moments, however, before her body collided with something solid, something sturdy. She let go of _whatever_ it was she was holding on to and grasped at the slippery mud of the riverbank, hauling herself out. Miki felt as though she weren't moving fast enough, as though the water tugging at her feet would drag her back in if she didn't make it to the safety of land in the next few seconds. Her normally-silky red locks had fallen from its hairband and were clumped together, clinging to her body as her clothes did.

Miki slumped against the cold ground, the sticky mud coating her whole front, her cheek, and her hands as she laid there, eyes closed, trying to slow her panicked heartbeat. She cleared her throat, spitting up a small mouthful of water before sighing and resting where she lay, but just as her eyes started to flutter closed, she caught sight of something lying in the water. She squinted. White hair, scrawny body, pale skin…

_Piko!_

The redhead sat bolt upright from her realization, terror coursing through her body all over again.

"No, no, no…" she mumbled as she crawled over to the unconscious boy. She placed her hands on either side of his head and lowered her face down to his, turning so that her ear was at his mouth. _He….He's not breathing!_

Miki grasped his shoulders and pulled him up farther on the bank before kneeling down next to him, placing her hands on his chest, and pressing down. She repeated the action several times before she stopped and tilted his chin back with mud-stained hands.

"Ew, ew, ew…" Miki slowly lowered her mouth down to his, muttering out profanities and complaints about her current predicament. At first, she went through the process relatively calmly – along with _mild_ protests – but as more time passed that he _didn't _start breathing, Miki started to panic. She wasn't forceful enough to cause any damage as she began to weakly pound against his chest with balled fists. "Please! Wake up! Dammit, I can't lose another one! Not like this! Wake up!" She leaped to her feet and spun around, her hair dancing around her body and scattering little droplets of water to the ground.

Miki buried her face in her hands as she stumbled away from his body, fighting against the tears that burned in her eyes. _No, no, no….Not again. _She felt numb to everything going on around her, until one single gunshot cracked the air from the top of the gorge where her friends were still in the middle of a skirmish with Len's team. _Stupid Len. Stupid war. Stupid life! _She dropped to her knees and bowed her head until her nose brushed against the mud that coated the ground. _It's not fair!_

Spluttered coughs came from behind her, and Miki whirled around to see that Piko had rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow and gagging up a mouthful of water. For a moment, she hesitated. She raised a brow as he finally sat up and wiped his chin, looking up at her with two differently-colored eyes that were wide with confusion. Was she supposed to rejoice in the fact that he was alive, or act like she didn't care? Didn't matter; he was the one who spoke to her first.

"What…what the hell happened?"

Miki folded her arms across her chest, already irritated by his attitude. "I just saved your life; that's what happened."

"Why?" He staggered to his feet, eyes narrowed. He lifted a hand to rub at his neck, wincing as though he was in pain, and then he demanded, "Why the hell would you do that? Don't you realize the kind of world we live in, idiot!? You think I want to live in this?!"

She snorted. Boy, was he thankful. "If you don't like it, then go commit suicide or something. Bottom line is, I'm not about to let someone die when I have the chance to stop it."

Piko frowned at her as he combed his drenched hair to the side with his slender fingers. After taking a moment to wring his shirt free of the excess water, he slowly padded in her direction. Miki prepared herself for some kind of surprise hit, only to be thoroughly shocked when he shoved her to the side as he followed the river upstream.

"Where the hell do you think you're going? Geez, when I told you to kill yourself, I didn't mean to do it right now!" Miki shouted back at him.

He didn't even pause. "I'm going back home."

"_Home_ is downstream, dumbass," Miki insisted, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder even though he wouldn't be able to see it since he wasn't looking in her direction.

"Maybe for you."

"For all of us. That way is a dead end. The gorge will cage you in," she told him matter-of-factly, rolling her eyes when he turned to look at her with a gaze that glittered with hatred.

"I _think_ I know my _own_ territory," he scoffed.

"I think you're wrong. You should go this way." Miki forced her tone to sound softer, more welcoming, as she tilted her head in the direction he refused to even consider. She wanted to at least _try _to get along with him.

But of course, he wouldn't allow it. "I have an idea." Piko turned back around, crossed his arms, and continued walking. "How about you go your way, and I go mine."

"You're unbelievable." Miki shook her head and bounded after him, not stopping until she was walking at his side, matching his pace.

"What the hell are you doing?"

She shrugged. "Figured I should be here to say '_I told you so_.'"

:::::

"Oliver!" Rin barked, casting the skinny blond kid who stood right next to Iroha a harsh glance before dashing over to the pink-haired guy who'd fallen to snatch up her gun, as well as the one her opponent had dropped. She stayed in her new spot, back to the gorge, and turned to face the three men that were still standing. They were still threats, whereas the pink-haired one who clutched at his shattered leg and wailed in pain was in no way dangerous, Rin concluded.

Oliver had leaned over ever so slightly to glance down at the foaming river that must've been at least seventy feet below. He turned back to face the brunette guy that his gun was aimed at. "Rin, they're not there."

"What?!" she shouted. "Are you sure?"

"You really think I'd miss Miki's hair?" he challenged.

Luka spoke before Rin was able to snap out a witty retort. The pinkette had made herself comfortable behind a nearby tree, crouching on her knees with her back pressed against the trunk and her gun clutched up to her chest. A nasty purple bruise was forming on her cheek, joined by a bit of blood that oozed from a cut on her forehead. "Are you kidding me, guys? Our teammates have just fallen to their deaths, and the best you idiots can do is continue fighting?"

Rin scowled and opened her mouth to say something back, but the brunette man stopped her.

"The lady's right."

"Of course I am. I'm always right," Luka scoffed. "Everyone's too interested in fighting and killing each other to stay safe; none of you look at the good in people. Especially you, Rin." She hadn't bothered to emerge from her little hiding spot, as the guy with his silver hair in a ponytail and crimson eyes was still aiming his gun in that direction, though now, he appeared to be a little at war with himself, considering her words.

"Guys…" a blue-haired man whispered, his rich blue eyes full of desperation as he looked at Rin – he'd very easily picked up on the fact that she was the leader, and that he should be addressing her. "…_please_. We've all lost people. We've all had a rough time." His gaze flicked over to the pink-haired guy, who had his hands covering a spot on his leg as he pressed down in a futile attempt to stop the blood flow.

"Oh, come now," Rin purred, bringing the barrel of one of the guns up to her lips. "This party's only just gotten started. We could have so much fun."

"Rin!" Luka snarled sternly, in the same instant that the blue-haired man begged again.

The blonde girl raised a brow, but her soft pink lips curved up into a smirk. "Alright, Luka. I suppose you're right. We should stop fighting."

The tension that had been gripping the air was suddenly gone, every single one of them relaxing their tense muscles and lowering their guns. Most of the weapons were dropped immediately, accompanied by heavy sighs.

But Rin wasn't done.

She quickly pulled back the safety on her gun and turned it towards the pink-haired guy on the ground. "But he's no use to us now," she spat, smirking widely at the way his crystal eyes grew in terror just moments before she pulled the trigger. Rin chuckled cruelly, tossing her gun to the ground, as he fell backwards with blood pouring from the bullet hole between his eyes.

"No! Yuuma!"

Rin barely even had the chance to turn around before she was tackled to the ground by the tall, blue-haired boy. He easily pinned her small frame below himself, straddling her hips and holding one of her arms down by grasping her wrist. His free hand clenched into a fist, and he pounded it against the side of her face as a chorus of shouts and protests erupted from the two teams.

Pain exploded across her cheek at the hit, but Rin lifted her free arm to block the next one as she thrust her hips upward hard enough to throw him off balance, giving herself just enough time to scramble from his grip. She was prepared to kick him in the chest, but he was thrown down by Luka and Oliver before she could get the chance to fight him for real.

Yet another – weaker – skirmish broke out among the groups. Weapons forgotten, they all circled around the blue-haired idiot and began wrestling with each other, trying to break apart from the quarrel they'd gotten themselves into. Rin only sat aside, grinning in amusement, as Oliver wrapped his arms around Iroha and yanked her back to get her away from the growing violence, while the brunette guy ended up shoving Luka aside to allow the blue-haired man the chance to get free.

The blue-haired boy squirmed in their grip, punching frantically at the air. "Dammit! Let me go!"

"Kaito, calm down," the silver-haired boy pleaded, reluctantly trying to catch his comrade's flying fists before they could end up dealing damage to any of them.

"No! She…she tricked us! She shot Yuuma! She killed him!" Kaito howled back, flailing desperately in his partners' grasp. "Someone needs to teach that bitch a lesson!"

Rin chuckled slightly at the argument, but was silenced when Luka lightly punched her shoulder, fixing her with a cold glare.

"Did you have to do something like that? We could've used the extra help," the pinkette snapped quietly at her leader.

"His leg was ruined," Rin replied monotonously, staring straight ahead at the scuffle. "He would've held us down if we were to go with your ridiculous pansy plan of working together."

Luka narrowed her eyes. "He was still a human, and he didn't need to be killed so cruelly like that. I figured you, as our leader, would've understood that, Rin." She clenched her hand into a tight fist. "You're not very suited to make those kinds of decisions. You jump to conclusions. You get joy in harming people. It wouldn't even matter if they're your friends! I bet you could hit me right now and not feel guilty at all," she added, taking note of the short blonde girl's look of rage.

Rin bit down on her bottom lip and took in a deep breath before letting it out in an irritated growl. "In this world, I have to make the decisions because you're too soft. Miki's emotionally fragile. Gumi doesn't pay attention to detail. The rest of you are just too young. If you try to fight your way through something like this without a backbone, you're going to fail miserably."

"Master's goal was to force his 'traitors' into a screwed up world of cruelty and uncertainty. He wanted to see us grow to be cold-hearted murderers, because that's the kind of thing that can cause people to break down. Rin, if you don't have compassion, you're just an animal," Luka said pointedly. "Are you going to let Master succeed in breaking us apart?"

"Master has no interest in what happens to us," Rin retorted.

"But I'm sure he _does_ get joy in sitting back and thinking of the fact that there are tons of survivors fighting for life out here, _against_ his rules." Luka shook her head, her gaze pleading. "Rin, right now, you're no better than Master himself." Having said that, leaving the short blonde leader in a state of shock, Luka padded over to the grappling boys and started offering an apology.

:::::

"Well, would ya look at that?!"

"What?"

"It's still a dead end!" Miki laughed. "You're wasting our time, Piko. We're gonna end up dying out here unless we turn back."

The white-haired boy snorted as he shook his head. He paused for a moment, raking his fingers through his hair in exasperation. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he let out a heavy sigh, looking this way and that, tilting his head back to stare up at the rocky cliff side that rose up to his right on the other side of the river.

He and Miki had been walking for a quite a while now; the sun had already begun to sink below the horizon, bathing them in the dark reds and golds of sunset. Sure, they'd gotten pretty far, but they'd had no such luck of finding a way to get out of the gorge; they were caged in from both sides. And there wasn't any place to offer them some kind of shelter for the night, either.

Miki groaned. "Well, if you'd listened to me –"

"Listen to _you_?!" Piko rounded on her, his eyes blazing with fury. "You got us into this mess! Had you not tackled me over the edge, we wouldn't be in this situation right now!"

She crossed her arms, tipping her head to the side. "So you're blaming me? _You_ challenged me!"

"Are you trying to turn this back on me?"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do!"

"Okay, fine!" He threw his hands up in the air in defeat. "I challenged you. Big whoop. I'm not the idiot that made us fall into the river." Piko raised a brow at Miki's expression, speaking again before she was able to. "Why'd you do that, anyway? You seemed terrified to go over when we were fighting."

"I was terrified," the redhead snapped back. "But I couldn't let you shoot my teammate. What kind of a person would I have been if I allowed that?"

Piko stared into her eyes with a challenging glare for several long moments. But his expression softened, and he extended his hand toward her. "I…" He sighed, pausing to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. "I s-suppose I owe you a bit of an apology. Y-You really proved me wrong. Girls can fight. And you really are a loyal one to your team, huh? You're…" He trailed off, and his silence showed that he'd chosen against what he was going to say to her.

Miki stared down at his hand through narrowed eyes before glancing back up to look at him. She frowned, and shoved him aside to walk past him.

"What the hell!?"

"Yes?" She turned around to look at him with twinkling eyes.

"I try to be nice to you, and you just act like a pathetic, rude b-"

"Have you forgotten who saved your life?" Miki wagged a finger at him teasingly, though she looked as though she would snap and kill him at any second.

"Dammit, just shut up." Piko scowled in her direction, rolling his eyes. "It's getting late, anyway. We have to find a place to sleep."

"Like where?"

"I dunno; there was a tree a while back. We can sleep underneath it," Piko suggested.

Miki raised a brow. "I don't trust you to be around me while I sleep."

He'd already started moving back in the opposite direction and didn't bother to turn around and look at the redhead. "And why is that?" he asked knowingly.

"I have my reasons." Miki shrugged and pushed past him again. "Come on! You're holding us back!"

Piko groaned.

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_**Well…I was gonna do another part with Rin after that, buuut I'm kinda having an issue with how the whole thing is gonna go over after she was told off like that. So I'll do some thinking and wait^^**_

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**.::Review Replies::.**

**Cristal17997: **_You're very welcome. XD I never discontinue a story, so don't worry. :3 Thanks for the review!_

**Ten-Faced: **_PLEASE DON'T THROW A HISSY FIT FOR WHAT I'VE DONE!D:_

**Storm Skyress: **_Hehe. Len's a masochistic perv in this story:3 Thank you!:D_

**Lizze-rivers: **_I always see Rui as kind of headstrong. :3 HAAA!X3 *blush* Thanks~! That means a lot!:D Miki has a reason for being afraid of falling, though. Actually, of the water. :3 You're exactly right on that one. Hehe. Ah, it's cool. I forget to review sometimes, too. :3_

**IA-K1002: **_Whyyy hello there~! XD Yea, Dell's on Piko's team. :3 Thanks for reviewing~_

**Loll1o1: **_Yay~! The code didn't fail XD :3 Thanks for the reviews~!_

**Antheasa: **_Oh noes!D: I'm too young to be annihilated!D:_

**Lukia Kagamine: **_I'm glad you like it! Ahh, thanks! Personally, I would've liked the fight to go on longer, but oh well. XD There are a lot of stories where Len's a total softy (I'm guilty of writing some; awh snap), so I figured I'd try something different. But I'm no good at dark romance. Heh… Thanks for the review!:D_

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_**Reviews are much appreciated, as well as constructive criticism; I do kinda feel like I got lazy on some of this, so if you wanna criticize, I'm perfectly fine with it. :3**_

_**(:Mizune**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hey, I have a story you guys need to read. It's called "The Red Boarding School of Dread." And it's written by StarryEyedRin; she really needs more reviews and more love in general on that story. It's seriously wonderful. So many twists and turns and everything. Give it a read, m'kay?**_

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_**Thanks for the reviews, you guys! They mean a lot! And I apologize for taking so long on the update. School's quite difficult, eh?**_

_**Also, I feel things are happening too fast. Actually, I know they are. Conflict is also one of those things I tend to struggle with, but I'm working on it. (: Tips and stuff are much appreciated!**_

_**Enjoy~**_

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**Last Chapter.**

"_What…what the hell happened?"_

_Miki folded her arms across her chest, already irritated by his attitude. "I just saved your life; that's what happened."_

"_Why?" He staggered to his feet, eyes narrowed. He lifted a hand to rub at his neck, wincing as though he was in pain, and then he demanded, "Why the hell would you do that? Don't you realize the kind of world we live in, idiot!? You think I want to live in this?!"_

_She snorted. Boy, was he thankful. "If you don't like it, then go commit suicide or something. Bottom line is, I'm not about to let someone die when I have the chance to stop it."_

_:::::_

"_Did you have to do something like that? We could've used the extra help," the pinkette snapped quietly at her leader._

"_His leg was ruined," Rin replied monotonously, staring straight ahead at the scuffle. "He would've held us down if we were to go with your ridiculous pansy plan of working together."_

_Luka narrowed her eyes. "He was still a human, and he didn't need to be killed so cruelly like that. I figured you, as our leader, would've understood that, Rin." She clenched her hand into a tight fist. "You're not very suited to make those kinds of decisions. You jump to conclusions. You get joy in harming people. It wouldn't even matter if they're your friends! I bet you could hit me right now and not feel guilty at all," she added, taking note of the short blonde girl's look of rage. _

_Rin bit down on her bottom lip and took in a deep breath before letting it out in an irritated growl. "In this world, I have to make the decisions because you're too soft. Miki's emotionally fragile. Gumi doesn't pay attention to detail. The rest of you are just too young. If you try to fight your way through something like this without a backbone, you're going to fail miserably."_

"_Master's goal was to force his 'traitors' into a screwed up world of cruelty and uncertainty. He wanted to see us grow to be cold-hearted murderers, because that's the kind of thing that can cause people to break down. Rin, if you don't have compassion, you're just an animal," Luka said pointedly. "Are you going to let Master succeed in breaking us apart?"_

"_Master has no interest in what happens to us," Rin retorted._

"_But I'm sure he does get joy in sitting back and thinking of the fact that there are tons of survivors fighting for life out here, against his rules." Luka shook her head, her gaze pleading. "Rin, right now, you're no better than Master himself."_

* * *

**Chapter Six.**

Rin scowled as Luka tried to build a potential relationship with the gang of boys they'd stumbled across during Miki's battle with Piko. After Rin's unjustified killing of the kid known as Yuuma, the boys seemed unwilling to hear Luka out; they didn't care about anything she had to say, because their friend was dead thanks to the heartless bitch they had been trying to reason with.

Rin's cerulean eyes were cold, harsh as she watched them absent-mindedly. She was unfazed by the pinkette's observations just minutes before. She didn't think she was anything like Master. He ruled the world, now, with his Vocaloid and UTAUloid armies, while she fought to maintain balance for herself and her friends. She didn't want any of them to fall victim to his merciless doings, so she had to remain strong and lead them with an iron fist to keep them protected. Because she felt that they needed her there, that they needed someone as harsh and cruel as she, someone who could pull a trigger to kill even her own loving father without a second thought.

Because being in a world such as that did things to people. It changed them for the worst. Took away their conscience, their realization of right and wrong. Everything they did, they did only to survive, with no thoughts of the others who may accidentally get in the way. That was the way Rin thought, the way her mind had programmed itself to work. Sometimes the unexpected could be seen as a threat, and she had to be prepared to fight and to kill anytime, anywhere, even if it meant the victim would be her best friends.

The others she worked with simply didn't understand this. Luka cared for people, Before her sister died, she had been just as ruthless as Rin. But something about watching Aria lay on the ground, bleeding out from a gunshot wound given to her by a solider during an ambush, caused Luka to change. She became friendly, willing to befriend any person she came across. Even to the point of preaching to Vocaloids or UTAUloids that she thought may have an ounce of kindness within them, that might be willing to assist her and Rin and their friends in their fight for survival.

Bur Rin thought that was stupid, because trusting those who were trying to eliminate you? ….That spoke for itself.

Miki had been found dying, and she'd always been cocky and arrogant. Though, no matter how much she acted like she could handle such things, she couldn't handle to watch people die. She'd gone out on missions before and watched Rin kill people brutally, and even though she pretended like it didn't bother her, it was obvious from the haunted and pained expression in her eyes that she couldn't take it.

Gumi was a hyperactive child. She could pull her own weight, yes, but she overlooked things. Even the extremely obvious things. She wouldn't even be able to point out the things that just screamed 'death!' without help. She didn't seem to care about being watched – hell, she could be followed for two hours by the loudest, clumsiest person in the world and still not feel a threat. Rin would sooner die than let that girl take the leadership position in their Resistance team.

Oliver had good potential, but he was just thirteen. Still a kid, barely hitting puberty. He wouldn't be a good choice to take control, because he didn't have as much wisdom as the rest of them did. And Iroha wouldn't be a good pick, either, because she still had Oliver dragging her out of trouble.

Rei and Rui…they were excellent kids, as far as she knew. But she hadn't seen them in action too much, so she wasn't sure how good they would be at leading others.

Therefore, Rin saw herself to be the only person suitable for taking control. She was the only one that would be able to protect them. Because, after all, no one had died on her yet. She hadn't been with Luka at the time of Aria's death, but if she had been there, Aria would still be alive. Rin was certain of that.

"We can take you back to our camp, and we can get you all fixed up," Luka was pleading, reaching forward to brush her fingers over a bloodstain on Kaito's forehead. Her motherly actions sickened Rin, but it was clear that the boys were falling for it - all except for Kaito who, despite getting tender treatment from the pinkette, still wore his scowl.

"We already have a girl who treats our wounds, and I'm sure she's much better than any of you fools could ever hope to be," the blue-haired boy snapped back, wrenching himself away from her.

"This isn't an argument to see who has better first-aid treatment," Luka retorted, narrowing her eyes. "This is about strategy."

"Strategy?!" Rin couldn't help but interject herself into that conversation, her cruel laughter ringing out over the sound of their pants and the rustling of the undergrowth as they reached for their weapons - none with the intent of pulling a fast one and trying to shoot one of the girls, because of the fact that they were on neutral ground. If one shot were to go off, they would all end up in danger of a crossfire. "What the hell kind of strategy is it to become one with the enemy?" she demanded, bending over to pick up the gun and knife she'd discarded by Yuuma's body.

The brunette man - his dark, nearly black hair sticking at odd angles after being caught in all the grappling - pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. His deep brown eyes shone in admiration of Luka's words, and as he concealed his gun behind him in his belt, he spoke words that reflected his years of wisdom. "I actually understand where the flower girl is coming from," he said softly.

Luka's cheeks flushed pink; Rin merely laughed and repeated the nickname with icy sarcasm.

"If we were to combine our efforts, we would have a better chance of survival," he added bluntly, stating the words that only he and Luka truly wanted to hear. He stood up from where he had been crouching behind his blue-haired comrade and padded over to Luka, staring down at her until she rose up to his height. "If we stay separated, we'll probably end up crossing paths again, and it'll result in another skirmish. If we have these quarrels often, there's a good chance it'll draw attention to this area, especially since the Vocaloids and UTAUloids patrol here regularly. If they see fresh blood and signs of struggles-"

"Okay, okay. Wait." Rin waved her hands in front of herself, shaking her head in frustration. "Where do you get the idea that you know everything about this?" the blonde girl snapped, her eyes narrowed down to slits. "You don't know anything. The lot of us - you morons and us combined - wouldn't be able to fit in the same hideout. And even if we could, it would be more difficult because there would be so much activity around that specific area, and that's sure to raise a flag of suspicion."

He tapped his finger to his chin in consideration, despite how rude she had been addressing him. "I see the short blonde girl's point..."

"And don't call me short, damn it," Rin growled under her breath. She whirled around to look at Oliver and Iroha, who were standing next to each other several feet away to keep out of the violence. Rin lifted one hand and beckoned for them. "Collect your weapons. We're going back to our camp."

Oliver blinked his one good eye and dipped his head, sending Iroha an emotionless glance to signal her to join him.

"W-Wait, Rin." Luka rushed forward and grasped her leader's shoulders, looking down at her with a pleading sapphire gaze. "It would be best for all of us if we were to bring them back." The pinkette knew merely by the look in Rin's eyes that she wasn't doing a very good job at convincing, so she tried one last time, with a topic that she was sure would infuriate Rin. However, there was a slight possibility it would work. "What would you tell Len, huh? About his team?"

Rin frowned heavily at the thought. "I'd tell him we shot them all dead. Simple as that."

"But that would hurt him."

"So?" Rin shrugged and brushed her friend off. "If one shows emotion at a time like this, he or she is truly weak and has no business living."

The blonde stood where she was, rooted in place with her cerulean gaze fixed on an unknown point ahead of herself. Len was quite the strong guy, and he had Mikuo with him, too. If they were to be enraged, they might easily be able to overpower the girls and kill them. Dying was the least of her worries - it would be worse to be caught by the Vocaloids, or even Master himself. But she still didn't want to take any unnecessary risks on her life.

Rin heaved a sigh. "C'mon, losers." She took a small step forward before sending a glance over her shoulder. "_All_ of you."

The brunette's and Luka's eyes brightened considerably, but Kaito and the silver-haired boy still sat on the ground, their expressions those of confusion and irritation. After a few moments of consideration, the silver-haired boy got to his feet and offered a hand to help Kaito up. Kaito only scowled as a response, his tear-filled gaze moving to rest on Yuuma's lifeless body.

"They killed my brother. There's no way in hell..."

"You had to have known he wouldn't live forever," the silver-haired boy insisted calmly, placing a hand on Kaito's shoulder. "We're all lucky to have survived _this_ long."

"No, Dell, you don't get the point!" Kaito wrenched away from his friend and glared at him with an intense fire burning in his eyes. "That...that was my little brother! I had the perfect chance to protect him, like I swore to do so many years ago when our parents got married, and I failed! I failed, Dell!" He gritted his teeth together and clenched his hand into a tight fist, his knuckles turning white. His cheeks were turning a red color as his eyes filled to the brim with tears, finally spilling over to roll down his face.

"Listen, Kaito-"

"Oh, _boo hoo._" Rin had turned around to watch the scene unfold, and her eyes still glowed with cruelty even upon seeing such a tall grown man cry. Her words had been laced with a sarcasm so thick, even those who were not victim to her statement wanted to smack her. "Things happen. You can dwell on them, or you can move on with your life. Guys," Rin added, her gaze flicking to the one-eyed blonde boy and his salmon pink-haired companion. "Let's get moving."

The silver-haired boy, Dell, looked to Kaito expectantly.

Kaito stared at him intently for a moment before he glanced back over to Rin with a confused look in his eyes. He brought a hand up to his head to comb through his tangled hair, dislodging the crumpled leaves that clung in his messy locks. "I...We..." His gaze traveled to lifeless body of his step-brother, and Kaito moved over to kneel next to him with his hot tears falling onto Yuuma's blood-stained shirt. "We can't just leave him here..."

Rin smiled cruelly as she tapped her chin with her finger. "The sissy boy has a point," she said with a mocking tone. She waved her hand at her comrades. "Throw his body in the river."

"What!?" Kaito's arms slipped protectively around the boy's limp body, pulling him up to his chest in one last hug. "We can't do that!"

The brunette man padded back over to the group, standing next to Rin. "I'm afraid the sadistic shorty here may have a point. If we leave him here, the Vocaloids will find him. And we don't have enough time to give him a proper burial."

Kaito squeezed his eyes shut tight, biting down on the inside of his cheek in frustration. His grip tightened on his dead brother, clutching the boy close to his chest as though such a firm hug would make him come back to life. At last, Kaito sighed and leaned forward to whisper something into the deceased boy's ear, his face set in a grim expression. When he looked back at Rin, even she felt uneasy by the hateful glow in his royal blue eyes.

"Very well," she mumbled, shrugging. "Go for it, Kaito." Rin hated addressing the boy she saw as an enemy by his first name, but she figured it would be best in her attempt to get them to think they would be partnering up.

She watched Kaito intently as he padded towards the gorge with Yuuma in his arms, his head hanging backward limply. Kaito stared down at the foaming river for several moments before he extended his arms over the edge. A faint, "I'm really sorry, little brother. Please forgive me," could be heard as the blue-haired boy's apology before he released his lifeless brother's body and let Yuuma fall victim to the rushing current.

Rin smiled faintly. "Good. Now let's go. Cover their eyes so they don't know where our hideout is," she muttered, waving her hand as a signal to her partners.

"But...we have one remaining back at our camp," Dell said, jerking his head in the direction of their hideout.

The blonde girl thought for a moment, chewing on her lip. How could she organize for someone to go with them to their place and bring them back, without running the risk of a potential ambush?

"Oliver, Iroha," Rin said at last. "You go with the preacher here back to their camp to get their last person." She flicked her wrist at the brunette standing next to Luka. "Remember not to let them see where our camp is located. And-" Rin broke off and walking swiftly towards her short companions, leaning down to whisper in their ears. "I trust that if something goes wrong, you won't hesitate to kill them," she finished, allowing her hands to brush over their hips where they kept their guns sheathed.

Iroha dipped her head, continuing to stare up at the blonde girl with wide amber eyes. Oliver didn't respond until Rin patted their backs and turned away.

"But, Rin?" he asked, his soft voice almost shaking in some kind of hesitation or fear. "What about Miki?"

Rin's lips curved up in a tiny smirk. "You'll have to forget her. She was foolish enough to get herself killed." She beckoned for Kaito to approach her, and with her soft, small hands, she covered his eyes, as Luka did the same to the silver-haired boy.

She didn't plan on telling any of them of her intent to kill the boys within the week.

::::

"My clothes are still dripping..."

"I don't need an update of what's going on with you every five minutes."

"Well, it's too quiet," Miki complained, lifting her arms into the air in a stretch. She opened her mouth widely to yawn with a couple of tears dripping from her eyes, pausing in her spot ahead of Piko until he was able to pass her and take the lead in their trek along the riverside. Her fingers combed back through her matted hair as she lowered her arms again. "You're so boring, you know that?"

"I wasn't put on the Earth to entertain helpless little girls like you," he scoffed in response, rolling his eyes even though she couldn't see.

"Who are you calling helpless?" Miki retorted, bounding forward a couple of steps so that she could walk at the same brisk pace next to him. She turned her head to look at him inquisitively, but he took no notice, staring ahead as though she weren't glaring at him so harshly. "Have you forgotten who nearly killed you? Who saved your life?"

"Have you forgotten that I could kill you in the blink of an eye if I wanted?" he muttered back, folding his arms across his chest.

Miki raised an eyebrow, a challenging smirk growing on her lips. "Then do it."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm exhausted, and we've arrived at a nice place to sleep." Piko's words made Miki snap out of her slight irritation at the white-haired boy and focus her attention on what lay ahead of them.

It was merely a tree; a tall tree, at that, with tangled branches that looked as though they would make for easy climbing. Roots were gnarled and bunched together above the packed dirt ground. The leaves were thick and provided good shade from the hot sun that had been slowly sinking below the horizon, the orange sky fading into the pinks and navies of night. And the river - a fierce current further upstream - had finally settled into a calm sloshing and trickling sound a few feet from it.

Piko padded towards the tree slowly, reaching out his hand to touch the rough bark. "Does this seem okay for you?"

"It'll do," Miki muttered, approaching the tree as well. "I've slept in worse places, I suppose." She had stopped next to him and reached out to touch the tree's trunk as well, but she turned to look at him through narrowed auburn eyes. "But I don't trust you."

"Well, I'm getting a full night's sleep. You can sit there on your side of the tree and panic over something that's not gonna happen, or you can get rested for tomorrow," he said simply, tugging on the end of his shirt in an attempt to wring out what little water was still soaked into it. He shot a glance over his shoulder. "Well?"

"I think it's a bit early to be going to sleep, don't you?" Miki prompted, awkwardly gesturing at the still-bright sky.

"If we get to sleep now, we can start early tomorrow and maybe get back at camp before nightfall," Piko told her pointedly, grasping at the hem of his shirt and pulling on it until he lifted it over his head.

Miki immediately turned away, but despite her embarrassment, she didn't blush. She only frowned in disapproval. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Hanging my shirt to dry." A small slapping sound could be heard as he flung the sopping piece of clothing over a branch so that it could hang in what little light remained of the orange sun. Piko glanced over at the redhead and laughed at the way she had turned her back to him with her arms crossed stubbornly. "Geez, am I really that ugly?"

"Shut up." Miki tilted her head to the ground so that her hair fell around her face like a thick red curtain that effectively blocked out the view of the skinny shirtless teen. Once she stood on the other side of the tree, with the fat trunk blocking her view of him, Miki's tense muscles relaxed. She didn't like the idea of that boy being around her; he seemed to mischievous. The only thing that scared her now wasn't the possibility of being discovered by a band of Vocaloids; it was being near that freak.

"I suggest you do the same, too, unless you want to wake up with prune-y skin," Piko told her loudly, a loud squishing sound filling the air as he kicked off his dripping shoes.

"I really don't care," Miki lied, crossing her arms and leaning back against the trunk of the tree.

"Really? I figured a girl like you would be freaking out over something like that," he muttered under his breath, but he was loud enough for Miki to hear.

But that wasn't the only sound that reached her ears.

She covered her face with her hand and groaned. "Please tell me you aren't..."

"Oh, yea." A small chuckle could be heard. "Why, do you not like being around guys in boxers?"

Miki sank to the ground in despair. There was no hope for her. The guy was a moron.

"Listen." There was some shuffling from where he was on the other side of the tree as he got himself in a comfortable position. "Now may not be the best time for a talk, but I swear I'm not gonna hurt you while we're out here."

"I can't trust you, you know," Miki said, leaning backward so that her head pressed against the tree trunk, and she turned so that she could stare off the way they'd come.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Because. We just nearly killed each other up there." Miki waved one hand limply up at the top of the gorge like he could see her, but Piko knew very well what she was talking about. "You would've thrown me over had I not pushed you back."

"That's not true. Good people don't deserve to be hurt like that," Piko told her, his voice firm.

"W-What...?" Miki raised her eyebrows. "But Len said that y-"

"I like to kill the bad guys," the white-haired boy answered, heaving a sigh. "I saw you as a bad person because you had kidnapped Len and Mikuo. But you're not a Vocaloid. You're not one of _them_. You're just a girl who's fighting for her life, and you're extremely loyal to your team." There was a pause before he whispered, "Even _I_ probably wouldn't have thrown myself into a river to save one of my teammates."

* * *

_**.::Review Replies::.**_

**Cristal12997:** _You're very welcome! (: Thanks again for the review! There'll be more Rin and Len next chapter, I promise(:(: Thanks!_

**Darkflower123:** _Yea, Rin's a bit confused. I'll try to think of a better backstory fro that reasoning. Thanks for the review~_

**Ten-Faced:** _Lol, why her hair? :O Because it's so heavy~? Rin IS a very evil person...:3 I feel like someone else said the same thing about her earlier, hm... Thanks for the review~_

**YellowFluffiesForever22:** _Lol, I thought you were serious, and I was like, 'Ooooh noes! What have I done wrong?D:' Ha, your review makes me laugh. X3 Master is a very cruel guy, and Rin could totally be him. (hint hint) Just kidding. But for reals, Luka's scolding was very pointed. Poor Rinny ;-; Please don't hate me for what I've done to Yuuma. ): I'd try to say something as reassurance, but I'd spoil stuffs, so...*virtual high fives back* They're so perfect for each other:D Rambling is okay; I do it too, sometimes. :3 Thanks~_

**Honeycloud of RiverClan:** _If I remember correctly from my research before I wrote that chapter, the cliff should be about 50-ish feet, give or take. Because people can survival a fall into water at that height. X3 Thanks again for pointing out the errors. (:_

**Mirror of Words:** _Omg, haaaaaaaay~ XD Nice to see you here:3 I'm glad you like the bad*ss-ness of Piko and Len. XD (I like it, too. *has random fangirl moment* Yup, everyone has their problems. I only know what the problems are for Miki and Luka, though. I really haven't done too much thinking on Rin's backstory, even though she and Len are supposed to be the MAIN main characters. XD One of them going on a frenzy? :3 Well, you can already tell /someone/ has issues with Rin, so...(hint hint) Nah, I love rambling. Thanks for the review~_

**DaniChibari:** _I'm so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry for not updating sooner XD You're right; I'm very busy! But I'll try to keep updates going. X3 Don't worry; Rin and Len will have moments in later chapters. ;) Thanks for the review~_

**forgivingheart24:** _Thanks! I'm really glad you like it! (Also, I got your PM, and I'll read your story soon; I don't PM too often because I'm not allowed to, sorry!) _

**Guest:** _Awwuh. ): I'm sorry): Everyone partially hates me for hurting Yuuma. I didn't want it to be Luki because the names are too similar for them to not be related, you know?XD Thanks for the review!_

* * *

**_Soooo? What d'you think will happen on Rin's side of things? And how about with Piko and Miki? :3 _**

**____****Piko and Miki are warming up a bit too quickly for my liking. Grr, I suck at conflict. *cries* **

**_Thanks for reading~_**

**_(:Mizune_**


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